Recent news should shift Sixers' free agency focus to Paul George

Recent news should shift Sixers' free agency focus to Paul George

On the heels of a recent report from ESPN which cited that LeBron James could opt to go to the Los Angeles Lakers if they’re able to acquire Kawhi Leonard via trade, it leaves the Philadelphia 76ers in an interesting spot.

The Sixers could choose to go into a full-blown push to land Leonard in a trade still, or potentially hope that they can woo LeBron in free agency (assuming he opts out). Neither option seems overly appealing with how things currently stand, which is why the team may want to consider going another route.

And that route is up to their recruitment of former Oklahoma City Thunder star Paul George.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski revealed Thursday that George has chosen to opt out of his deal with the Thunder and will become an unrestricted free agent.

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While George isn’t on the caliber of LeBron, he’d actually be a pretty great fit with the Sixers on paper. His ability to play off the ball, as we saw with Russell Westbrook, while also having the upside to take over a game would be perfect. He’s also a solid defender and a very strong shooter as well.

The 28-year-old is almost certainly going to command a max deal wherever he lands but based on how things have played out to this point, it may be smart for the Sixers to ramp up their recruitment sooner than later.